THE TRIBULATION TIME PERIOD

 

The Jews During the Tribulation

 Dan 9:26, 27 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he (the antichrist) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate , even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

This week in Daniel is called the Tribulation in which the antichrist will make a covenant of some kind with Israel and will break that covenant in the middle of the week stopping the sacrifice in the temple. He will then set up the abomination of desolation. This week is actually the last seven years in the prophetic time-table for Israel 's 70 weeks. All 69 weeks have already been fulfilled and we have waited almost 2,000 years for this last week to start. It will start with the antichrist establishing his works and end with Jesus Christ destroying the antichrist and his works.

 

The Jews Only

  Mat 24:15 - 22 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet , stand in the holy place , (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day : For then shall be great tribulation , such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be . And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

It is extremely important to realize that Matthew 24 has absolutely nothing to do with the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you do not understand that, then your end-time theology will be very confused and you will come up with erroneous conclusions. It is easy to prove that this chapter is talking only to and about the Jews. Verse 15 above speaks of an abomination of desolation, which is an unholy thing or sacrifice, in the holy place which is the Jewish temple which is to be built in Jerusalem . Christians do not have a holy place except in their heart where the Holy Ghost dwells and that would make no sense if you read the verses in that context. Also in verse 15 it talks about “ them which be in Judea ” that are to flee. Judea is a part of the land of Israel , clearly marking this passage as only referring to the Jews. If that was not enough, verse 20 mentions the Sabbath day which is from sundown on Friday to sundown Saturday (not Sundays). Only the Jews observe the true Sabbath, are in Judea , and will have a holy place where sacrifices will be made (Dan 9:27). Just because the Church reads the Bible does not mean that the whole Bible is only talking to or referring to the Church. Remember there are three groups in God's mind: The Jews, the nations, and the Church (1 Cor 10:32).

Believing Jews

Matthew Chapter 24 corresponds with Mark 13 and Luke 21. If you compare the three chapters, you will likely come to the same conclusion that all three are talking to and about the Jews only during the Tribulation. But an interesting thing to note is that the Jews, probably as a nation (Rom 11:26), will be believers in Jesus! This is likely to happen because they knew about an end-time rapture and are aware, along with the rest of the world, that many people have suddenly disappeared. They will probably even check the graves and notice that many bodies are gone. This will cause them to repent and accept their messiah Jesus. These Jews are called the Tribulation Saints or the Elect.

Mat 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

Mar 13:9 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake , for a testimony against them.

Luk 21:12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues , and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake .

Notice the verse is talking about synagogues which are places of Jewish worship. But also notice that the persecution will be for their belief in Jesus by the phrase “ for My sake ” or “ for My name's sake .” They will finally believe!

Mar 13:11 But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.

The Jews will have the Holy Ghost!

Mar 13:13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Luk 21:17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake .

Again, the Jews will be persecuted for believing in Jesus.

Luk 21:35 , 36 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth . Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass , and to stand before the Son of man.

This verse is explaining to the Jews how to avoid the deception and Tribulation to come. It strongly implies a Pre-Tribulation rapture because there is no way to avoid “ ALL these things” unless you are not on the earth. Verse 35 says that this deception and Tribulation will come on ALL men on the entire earth . The only ones worthy are those bought by the blood of the Lamb and they shall stand before the Son of Man, obviously, before “all these things” or He would have not said it would be possible to escape.

The Third Temple in Jerusalem

The Jews are awaiting the building of the third temple. When it is built, the antichrist will then be able fulfill the prophecy concerning the abomination of desolation. Because of the tensions in the Middle East the Jews have not yet been able to secure the land required for its building but it will be done and sacrifices will again be started according to the Bible. To find out the latest information about the building of this temple check out the following link:

http://www.templemount.org

 

Jewish Persecution

Mat 24:20 - 22 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day : For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

The Jewish persecution during the Tribulation time period will be the worse of all time since the world began. It cannot be described in words it will be so terrible. The anti-Semitism of the world will culminate to this seven year period and destroy an enormous amount of Jews worldwide, especially in the land of Israel . The Bible has much to say about the Jews during this time period.

Zec 13:8, 9 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein . And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

That means that two-thirds of the Jews will be massacred!

Zec 14:2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

Dan 7:21 I beheld, and the same horn (antichrist) made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;

Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

Many Jews will not believe and upon these will the wrath of God be poured out. God's wrath and judgment will come in the form of the removal of His protection and peace allowing the antichrist to destroy the unbelieving Jews. Let's look at what God said about the Jew's in Deuteronomy chapter 32:

Deu 32:9 For the LORD's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.

The above verse proves that this passage of Deuteronomy 32 is talking about the Jewish people.

Deu 32:15 But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.

Many Jews have and will continue to reject Jesus, the Rock of their salvation.

Deu 32:18 - 20 Of the Rock that begot thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee. And when the LORD saw it , he abhorred them , because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters. And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be : for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.

Deu 32:29 O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!

Deu 32:35 To me belongeth vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.

The wrath of God on the Jews is also spoken of by Paul in the New Testament:

1Th 2:14 - 16 For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews: Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins always: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.

However, many Jews will be saved from the wrath because they will believe:

Rev 7:4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed a hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

These are the actual Jewish people , evident by the description of 12,000 from each tribe (Rev 7:5-8). The Christian church does NOT have 12 tribes. The 144,000 are NOT in any way a representation of the Church.

Rev 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with him a hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.

Rev 14:3 - 5 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

It would seem that most of the unbelieving Jews will be killed and the remaining Jews will turn to the Lord as a nation as prophesied by Paul:

Rom 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

 

What is Going to Happen?

The Tribulation time period, of seven years, will start with the antichrist's rule and will end when Jesus returns, which will start the Day of the Lord. The Tribulation will not just affect the Jews but will likely end up being world-wide. Many people will become believers during the Tribulation period from all nations and most of them will be martyred for their faith. Revelation chapters six through eighteen describe this period very well. It starts with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Rev 6:2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

I believe that this is the antichrist not Jesus because Jesus is opening the seal in Heaven. This part of Revelation is speaking only about future events as signified by the phrase, “things which must be hereafter ” (Rev 4:1) so it could not be talking about Jesus' earthly ministry almost 2,000 years ago. This antichrist will appear as Christ because he rides a white horse like Christ but the elect will know by the Holy Spirit that he is not of God. He begins by becoming a world leader (the crown being given to him) but without war (he has a bow but no arrows). He subdues other countries, making them loyal to him. The next horsemen released causes great suffering that will come by the removal of peace from the earth and economic collapse. One-quarter of mankind will be killed due to hunger, murder, and beasts or pestilence. During the first four seals of Revelation chapter six many people must have turned to the Lord because many will then be martyred. This is followed by changes in the earth and sky. A great earthquake will occur and the sun will be darkened and the moon will appear as red as blood. This describes the first six seals of Revelation chapter six.

If you do a comparison between the four seals of Revelation chapter six and Matthew chapter twenty-four, they seem to describe the same events:

 

The seventh seal contains seven trumpets, which when sounded bring terrible misery upon mankind. They are as follows:

Trumpet 1) Great hail that destroys one-third of the earth's vegetation

Trumpet 2) A mountain (possibly a meteor) that goes into the sea and a third part of sea-life dies and one-third part of the ships are destroyed

Trumpet 3) A star fell and destroyed one-third of the earth's fresh water supply (possibly a nuclear bomb)

Trumpet 4) A third part of light, from the sun, moon, and stars, will be darkened

Trumpet 5) The release of small demon creatures (unseen by men) that will torment mankind with great pain, like a scorpion sting, for five months

Trumpet 6) The release of an army of 200, 000, 0000 that will kill one-third of mankind “by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone”. They are allotted a time period of “an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year”.

Trumpet 7) The seven last plagues of God's wrath will be poured out upon the unrepentant in seven vials, as follows:

Vial 1) A grievous sore upon the men that had the mark of the beast

Vial 2) The sea becomes as blood and all life dies in the sea

Vial 3) The fresh water supply turns to “blood” as well

Vial 4) The sun will scorch people with great heat

Vial 5) Great darkness and pain falls upon the seat of the beast (the kingdoms behind the antichrist)

Vial 6) The Euphrates River is dried up in preparation for Armageddon

Vial 7) Great thunder and lightening, a great earthquake, and great hail comes upon the enemies of God at Armageddon

 

The Nations During the Tribulation

Many have quoted Matt 24:14 for the current time period. It says, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations ; and then shall the end come.” But if we read that verse in context, we find it right in the “middle” of the Tribulation time period! Sure, we are preaching the Gospel all around the world now but when the Tribulation comes, many many more will be saved. I say that because in Revelation chapter seven, also describing a period of the Tribulation, it says:

Rev 7:9, 10 After this I beheld, and, lo , a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

Where are they? In Heaven before the throne of God and the Lamb. Who are they and where did they come from?:

Rev 7:13, 14 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

The word “came” there could also be translated “come” or “are coming”, as in a continual event. So, we have a great multitude being converted during the Tribulation from all nations and they will die or be martyred for their faith throughout the Tribulation up until the end. They will stand before the throne of the Lamb in Heaven and worship Him. They will also return with Jesus at the coming of the Lord.

However, many will not repent and turn to Jesus. Upon them will the wrath of God be poured out as described above with the seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven vials. They will be deceived by the antichrist and his prophet. The will believe in him as Christ because of the wonders he will be able to perform. They will be so devoted to him and his ideals that they will purposely take his mark, 666, on their bodies to signify their allegiance to him. These people are not ignorant of what they are doing but are purposefully rejecting Jesus as the Christ, and God, and following after a lie. More about the antichrist and his deception over the nations can be found on the next part to this article called “The Antichrist”.

 

The Church of God During the Tribulation

  Judgment Seat of Christ

The Church will not go through any part of the Tribulation; we will be in Heaven with the Lord Jesus the entire time. After the rapture, the Church will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ. This will be a place in the Heavens where we will be given reward for the deeds done in our bodies (1 Cor 3:9-15). It will not be a place of condemnation to punishment. The sinners only will stand before God in condemnation and that will be before the Great White Throne Judgment spoken of in Revelation 20. We, the Church, will never stand at the Great White Throne Judgment. Judgment for the Christian will be a time of reward in comparison to the judgment of the world which will be nothing but wrath. Christians should never fear judgment. It will be a revealing of your heart and those things done in the flesh will be burned up but those things done in love will remain as your reward.

Rom 14:10 - 11 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at naught thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

Notice that Paul is talking to Christians here in the Book of Romans. Christians are the only ones to stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ.

2Co 5:9, 10 Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Again, Paul here is speaking to Christians only. The Judgment seat of Christ is only spoken of to and about Christians whereas the judgments at the Great White Throne (below) only speak about the lost.

Rev 20:12 - 15 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Who are the one's standing before the Great White Throne of God for judgment? Only “the dead” - those spiritually dead because they were not believers. Who was judged? Only “the dead were judged”. The timing of the Great White Throne Judgment is after the millennial reign of Christ but the timing the Judgment Seat of Christ is the moment a Christian leaves the Earth to meet the Lord. There does not appear to be a set time for all Christians to be judged simultaneously.

Heb 9:27, 28 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

 

Marriage Supper of the Lamb

Before the Lord returns with all His saints to judge the earth, there will be a marriage supper in Heaven. This event will include the saints from all ages, including the martyrs of the Tribulation, as the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ being presented to Him as a pure, holy, and chaste virgin. The passage that describes this event is Revelation 19:

Rev 19:7 - 9 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

All will be gathered that are called saints. This will be a wonderful time of celebration because the Church, the Bride of Christ, will be officially united with Him in completeness and purity! Following this we will all leave Heaven to be with the Lord as He goes in great glory, power, and wrath to judge the nations.

The following is some information on a Jewish wedding that could shed some light on the manner in which the Marriage Supper of the Lamb takes place. You can find the source of this information at http://www.khouse.org/articles/2003/449/

Jewish Wedding

The first step, the Ketubah, or Betrothal, 2 was the establishment of the marriage covenant, usually when the prospective bridegroom took the initiative 3 and negotiated the price (mohair) he must pay to purchase her. 4

Once the bridegroom paid the purchase price, the marriage covenant was established, and the young man and woman were regarded as husband and wife. 5 From that moment on, the bride was declared to be consecrated or sanctified - set apart - exclusively for her bridegroom. 6 As a symbol of the covenant relationship that had been established, the groom and bride drank from a cup of wine over which the betrothal had been pronounced. 7

After the marriage covenant was established, the groom left his bride at her home and returned to his father's house, where he remained separated from his bride for approximately 12 months. 8 This afforded the bride time to gather her trousseau and prepare for married life. 9

During this period of separation, the groom prepared a dwelling place in his father's house to which he would later bring his bride. At the end of the period of separation, the bridegroom came - usually at night - to take his bride to live with him. The groom, the best man, and other male escorts left the father's house and conducted a torch-light procession to the home of the bride. 10 Although the bride was expecting her groom to come for her, she did not know the time of his coming. 11 As a result, the groom's arrival was preceded by a shout, 12 which announced her imminent departure to be gathered with him.

After the groom received his bride, together with her female attendants, the enlarged wedding party returned from the bride's home to the groom's father's house, 13 where the wedding guests had assembled.

Shortly after their arrival, the bride and groom were escorted by the other members of the wedding party to the bridal chamber ( huppah ). Prior to entering the chamber, the bride remained veiled so that no one could see her face. 14 While the groomsmen and bridesmaids waited outside, the bride and groom entered the bridal chamber alone. There, in the privacy of that place, they entered into physical union for the first time, thereby consummating the marriage that had been covenanted approximately one year earlier. 15

After the marriage was consummated, the groom came out of the bridal chamber and announced the consummation of the marriage to the members of the wedding party waiting outside. 16 Then, as the groom went back to his bride in the chamber, the members of the wedding party returned to the wedding guests and announced the consummation of the marriage. 17

Upon receiving the good news, the wedding guests remained in the groom's father's house for the next seven days, celebrating with a great wedding feast. 18

During the seven days of the wedding feast, the bride and groom remained hidden in the bridal chamber 19 (Cf. Genesis 29:21-23, 27-28) for the seven days of the huppah. 20 Afterwards, the groom came out of hiding, bringing his bride with him, but with her veil removed so that everyone could see her.

 

BACK NEXT

 

Introduction

Part 1 - Jews, Nations, and the Church of God

Part 2 - Current Time Period

Part 3 - The Rapture

Part 4 - The Tribulation Time Period

Part 5 - The Antichrist

Part 6 - The Coming of the Lord

Part 7 - The Millennial Reign of Christ Time Period

Part 8 - The Great White Throne Judgment and a New Beginning

 

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